Comments on: Pennsylvania Hotel opens supportive housing

By: carole

carole — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 04:44:59 +0000

how are the hard to house anymore expensive to build for then tourists. this is nonsense. public housing might cost more because bc housing demands that the building be standing in so many years and doesn’t leak…not for profit housing does…and often

By: Dirk

Dirk — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 05:59:04 +0000

When it comes to fixing up the residential hotels why not use some of the methods employed by Habitats for Humanity,i.e volunteer labor,volunteer expertize ,building supply donation
This would help lower the cost,speed things up,build community spirit etc etc.Indeed if a barn can be thrown up in a day surely we can build housing more efficiently and quicker if we did not just contract the work out for profit.For profit is not a bad thing but the priority has to be getting people housed using every means at our disposal.

By: dave

dave — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:12:46 +0000

Funny, I’m with a group that has been offering supportive housing using a model of live-in community builders (people who care about those who are homeless or on the verge of it, who choose to live with them, not get paid but actually pay rent, share resources, stories, lives) for 10 years, and when we approached the province to ask for money (spare change, really) to run an SRO that is currently used as hostel on this kind of community building model, they said “thanks, but no thanks.” What we are offering is a powerful model of supportive housing, financially viable, low-cost (1.5 million for 23 units), grassroots and community-based (neighbor -to-neighbor rather than paid staff-to-client) and we get blocked and rejected by BC Housing at every turn. I guess even among organizations willing to step into the fray to make a difference, the little people get silenced and shut out.

By: jen

jen — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:29:00 +0000

$326,000 per room????

That is absolutely appalling. What colossal waste. What stunning mismanagement.

But isn’t it nice that all the poverty professionals and poster-kid junkies got to have a lovely photo-op with the politicians while the media dutifully applauded.

Taxpayers paid for the pancakes. And everything else.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:34:24 +0000

Just as long as I can be clear that I don’t make any claim to expertise…

My recollection was that the cost was hovering somewhere around $1K per square foot, but as I couldn’t be certain I wouldn’t cite a number.

Presumably yet another source of the high cost is that it’s expensive to build in a way that’s durable enough to stand up to the wear that hard to house residents will bring. Money spent well up front can save a lot of money over the life of the building.

Meanwhile, does anyone know if there’s a relationship between that Concord density purchase and their controversial project at 58 W. Hastings?